


When Love Takes You In

by thetealdragon



Category: Rizzoli & Isles
Genre: Adoption, Child Abuse, Established Maura Isles/Jane Rizzoli, F/F, Family Fluff, Maura Isles/Jane Rizzoli-centric, OTP Feels
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-28
Updated: 2020-12-28
Packaged: 2021-03-10 21:07:51
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,865
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28373655
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thetealdragon/pseuds/thetealdragon
Summary: Jane Rizzoli goes undercover. It was supposed to be a simple operation.The situation she finds herself in is anything but "simple."OrJane works a case involving an abused toddler and a neglected baby. She and Maura fall in love with them and bring them home. Will they find that life and work are too complicated when it involves small children? Or will love conquer all?
Relationships: Maura Isles/Jane Rizzoli
Comments: 8
Kudos: 75





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hello Readers! 
> 
> Welcome to what will become a multi-chapter Rizzles family fic.
> 
> Warnings- physical and emotional child abuse scene. Nothing too graphic, but take care of yourselves. Don't read if this will trigger you.
> 
> The first chapter is just an introduction. Hence why it's ridiculously short.
> 
> I promise, future chapters will be much longer!
> 
> Without further ado, I present to you, 
> 
> "When Love Takes You In."

Thud.

Detective Jane Rizzoli looked up as her former partner, Sergeant Vince Korsak, dropped a heavy file on her desk.

"Can I help you?" Jane asked, giving him her signature amused smirk.

"Yeah. We got a case. Four prostitutes were murdered a week after quitting their jobs as strippers at 'Entice', which we believe to be the cover business for thirty-one year old Frank Bryant -"

"-the mob boss?" Jane interrupted him, getting impatient and wondering what this was all about. "Yeah, Maura did the autopsy on the women on Monday. They all died from having their throats slit. What's changed since then?"

"Orders are to put you undercover as a replacement to earn his respect, see if you can get him to tell you anything about his involvement with the mafia."

Shit.

Jane groaned theatrically, rubbing her temples in frustration. "Maura's not gonna like this."

Dr. Maura Isles, chief medical examiner and Jane's fiance, hated when Jane went undercover because it was always a 'high-stakes operation with ample risk of imminent danger.'

Korsak scoffed, knowing she most likely wasn't wrong in her assumption. "You're probably right about that."

....

"Excuse me?!" Maura demanded angrily, putting down her scalpel and turning to face her fiancé.

Jane covered her face with her hands, exasperated. "It's not my decision, babe."

"This is the third undercover operation this year. And it's only February! Are they trying to send me into cardiac arrest?!"

Jane sighed and stepped forward to pull the beautiful woman into her arms. "It should only be a week, tops. According to our intel, Bryant always invites his new employees to his house for a business meeting their first week on the job."

"A 'business' meeting?" Maura asked, making a disgusted face. "With his newly hired strippers? Jane, that sounds incredibly-"

"-creepy?" 

"Unsafe." Maura finished, ignoring Jane's interruption and looking up at her with genuine concern in her hazel eyes.

Jane's brown eyes softened noticeably as she gazed at her. "Babe...I have a job to do- but I also have a beautiful woman to come home to. I promise I'll be safe. Okay?"

Maura still looked slightly upset, but she nodded in acquiesce. "Okay. I love you."

Jane leaned in to kiss her softly. "I love you too." She murmured, pressing a gentle kiss to her fiance's forehead.

....

The week passed without incident, even though Jane missed Maura like crazy, and barely restrained herself from vomiting or breaking creepy men's hands when they touched her- well, Candy the Stripper- in inappropriate ways. 

While she hadn't found any non-circumstantial evidence yet, she had been invited to Bryant's mansion, as promised by the department's intel.

And soon enough, it was time for the 'business dinner' to begin.

Jane and the other undercover detective, her partner, Barry Frost, who was hired at 'Entice' as the security guard, showed up at Frank Bryant's mansion at 6:00 sharp on a Thursday evening.

"Mr. Williams, Candy. Mr. Bryant will see you now." The butler invited them into the mansion with a grandiose gesture.

They thanked him, Jane barely managing to repress the urge to gag at the cliché sound of her alias.

She was so ready for this operation to be over. 

As they were led to the dining room, Jane took in her elegant surroundings with the practiced ease of a cop.

They had passed the living room, the ballroom, and the kitchen before Jane noticed something was off.

The door to the kitchen was slightly ajar, which seemed strange considering the picture-perfect environment.

Before the undercover detectives had the chance to pass the room entirely, a small movement caught Jane's eye.

A little girl, who couldn't have been more than three years old, had sneaked out of the kitchen before noticing the woman staring at her curiously.

She stopped and stared at Jane like a deer in headlights.

Her dirty blonde hair was tangled, her brown eyes wide with fear. Her fancy lace dress was dirty. She clutched a few pieces of bread in one tiny hand and a baby bottle in the other.

She was so tiny, and so clearly terrified, that Jane's heart broke for her immediately.

Then she noticed the fading bruise in the shape of an adult handprint on the side of the the child's tiny face, and she found herself beyond furious. 

Who had hurt this precious little girl?!

Whoever it was, Jane vowed, they would have hell to pay.

There was no greater scum on Earth than the monsters that abused innocent children. 

Before Jane could think fast on what to do, a woman's angry screech sounded through the kitchen. 

"Marie Elizabeth Bryant. How dare you?!"

A woman, about thirty years old by the look of it, stormed down the staircase and through the kitchen and grabbed the little girl by her long tangled hair.

Jane was seeing red as the toddler cried out in pain and dropped the bread in her left hand.

She raised the hand that wasn't holding the bottle and tried desperately to loosen her mother's grip. 

From the moment the little girl cried out in pain, Jane was focused on nothing but her safety. 

She didn't fully register the woman's cruel words as she loudly berated her daughter for "stealing" from her and for being a "stupid, worthless burden."

She didn't think twice about the active mob boss, who entered the room to scream obscenities at his wife and daughter.

She didn't even notice the terrifying man's attention switching from the "dumbass whore" and "useless brat" to asking 'Candy' what the hell she thought she was doing.

Jane immediately lunged at the woman, forcing her to let go of the little girl and wrestling her to the ground.

Frank Bryant moved to grab his pistol, but her partner was faster. 

Frost grabbed the weapon and aimed it at him, yelling "Freeze! Boston P.D. You're under arrest, Frank Bryant. And so is your wife."

He raised his hands and surrendered just as the backup stormed in. She allowed another officer to escort Bryant and his wife to the squad cars waiting out front.

Then Jane noticed a flash of movement- in the midst of the commotion, the little girl had edged her way to the staircase, and now she was running up the stairs as fast as she could.

Jane moved to follow her as quickly as possible.

....

'God, why are there so many rooms?'

She groaned internally as she searched the fourth room and came up empty.

As she moved to the doorway of the next one, the unmistakable sound of an infant crying startled Jane.

"Shh, Johnny, shh...You have to be quiet, please." The little girl pleaded softly as Jane entered the room and followed the sound to the closet.

Their hiding spot discovered, the terrified little girl's eyes flickered to the exit and back to determine whether she could escape before deciding to beg for mercy instead.

"Please..." The little girl started trembling and sobbing uncontrollably, breaking Jane's heart all over again. "Please don't hurt us." 

The baby screamed louder and Jane's chest ached with the need to reassure them both. "No, no, sweetie, I'm not gonna hurt you. I promise."

She took a deep breath to calm herself before deciding introductions were in order.

"My name is Jane, I'm a police officer. I'm here to help you, and your baby brother. What's your name, honey?"

The small child was clearly hesitant, but only for a moment. She looked down at the floor and spoke quietly. "I- I'm Marie. Thi- this is Johnny. I promise I can m-make him be quiet, but I dropped his ba-ba. It's right there. C-can you pick it up for me, please?"

Jane looked behind her and saw the baby bottle that Marie had been clutching when her mother had grabbed her.

"Sure. Marie is such a pretty name, sweetheart. And Johnny is a handsome name for a handsome boy." She cooed at the baby, smiling.

She handed Marie the bottle and sat back as the little girl offered it to the baby, who latched on, sucking greedily from the bottle as Jane watched them together.

It was clear that Marie was quite used to taking care of Johnny's needs, and considering she couldn't be older than three years old herself, that was very concerning.

"Thank you." Marie said softly, looking up at Jane with a ghost of a smile on her face.

Whether it was a thank you for the compliments or for handing her the bottle, Jane couldn't help but return the smile with a grin of her own and reply.

"You're welcome, Marie. How old are you? I'm thirty-one years old." She revealed the information in a conspiratorial whisper, as if it was highly classified. Then she made a face, as if to say, 'yikes.'

The little girl giggled softly at Jane's silly face and held up three tiny fingers to answer her question.

"You're three years old? Wow, you're a big girl, huh?"

Marie gave her a grin. "I'll be four next week." 

"Wow!" Jane spoke enthusiastically. "That's pretty cool!"

Marie smiled again, but otherwise stayed quiet.

"So Marie, I noticed you have a big boo-boo on your face." Noticing the child's eyes widen in alarm, Jane added quickly, "It's okay, honey, I was just going to ask you for a favor."

Marie looked a little suspicious now, but stayed silent.

"I was hoping you could come outside with me to meet my friend Maura. She's a doctor, and she can help you feel better." 

When Marie hesitated a bit at the prospect of leaving the mansion, Jane added, "She's a really nice lady, and she can help make sure you and Johnny are healthy."

With the reassurance that this stranger was nice, and the promise that her baby brother would get a checkup, Marie relaxed a little and nodded. "Okay." She said softly.

"Okay?" Jane was visibly relieved. "Okay, thank you so much, honey. Let's go."


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone! Thank you all for your kudos and lovely reviews. I really appreciate them!
> 
> Welcome to Chapter Two of "When Love Takes You In." 
> 
> In this chapter, Maura meets Marie and Johnny, and Jane earns some of Marie's trust.
> 
> This chapter isn't as long as I had hoped, but I really wanted to update for you all, so it's the best I could do.
> 
> I hope you all enjoy, regardless!

The sun was beginning to set.

Maura had been anxiously pacing around the courtyard of the mansion for about half an hour, waiting for her fiancé, before the front doors finally opened.

She exhaled with relief and turned around quickly, hoping to see Jane. She was not disappointed. She was, however, surprised to see that Jane was not alone.

Jane was holding the hand of a toddler and had a baby on her hip.

And Maura was struck by an emotion she couldn't describe.

Her fiancé, beautiful as ever, even in a stripper costume, was talking softly to the little girl and pointing to Maura.

When the little girl, wrapped in Jane's Boston P.D. jacket, turned her head to look at Maura, she immediately noticed two things-

First, Maura noticed that the indescribable feeling increased dramatically, causing her chest to constrict with emotion.

Then, she caught sight of the bruise on the toddler's face and felt herself on the verge of becoming rather upset.

Taking a deep breath to calm herself down, she smiled gently at the toddler, who looked to Jane for reassurance.

Jane smiled down at the little girl, and this was seemingly enough to convince her to move.

They descended the steps slowly, one step at a time, and Maura moved to meet them halfway.

"Hey, babe." Jane greeted her fiancé softly.

"Hi, Jane." Maura leaned forward to kiss her fiancé's cheek. 

"Who are your new friends?" She asked, looking between the baby and the toddler with a smile.

"Maura, this is Johnny, and this is his big sister, Marie." She looked down at Marie and squeezed her hand. "Marie and I were hoping you could give her and Johnny a check-up."

"Hi, Marie!" Maura greeted her enthusiastically, kneeling down effortlessly to make herself seem like less of a threat. "I would love to give you and Johnny a check-up. Can I ask a friend of mine to help? Her name is Dr. Cassidy. She is a nice lady, and she has a lot of stickers and lollipops."

Marie smiled at the idea of stickers and candy. She was, however, hesitant to trust anyone. Her expression showed that she was deep in thought as she considered the fact that Maura seemed to trust this other doctor, and Jane trusted Maura, and Jane had been nicer to Marie than anyone else had ever been in her whole life.

Marie looked between Jane and Maura and asked hesitantly, "Are you gonna stay with us?"

"Yes." 

"Of course."

They answered in unison, looking at each other in surprise. An unspoken communication passed between the lovers. They were in this together. Whatever 'this' may become.

"Pinky promise?" Marie's little voice startled them out of their reverie.

Jane kneeled down next to Maura, effortlessly adjusting Johnny on her hip. 

"Pinky promise." Jane offered her little finger to the toddler, a serious expression on her face.

They both turned to Maura, who solemnly did the same. "Pinky promise, Marie."

Marie reached out with both hands and linked her little fingers with theirs.

The sacred promise they had made reassured Marie that she wasn't alone anymore. 

"Okay, let's go!" She beamed at the women brightly, pulling Jane's jacket tighter around her shoulders.

Both women chuckled at her enthusiasm.

Jane carefully handed Johnny over to Maura before explaining to Marie, "I gotta talk to my partner first. Why don't you and Maura go wait in the car? It's freezing out here."

As if to prove her point, the February wind blew through the crisp air, and Marie shivered, blowing warm air on her hands.

Maura held baby Johnny closer to her chest and tucked the blanket he was wrapped in under his chin.

"I think that's a good idea!" Maura answered Jane. "Marie, will you come with me to the car with me so you and Johnny can get warmed up?"

Marie hesitated, but only for a second before the wind blew again and Johnny started fussing. 

Anxious to keep her brother from getting sick, she nodded vigorously and slipped her little hand into Maura's.

Maura smiled. She may have been cold, but this little girl was warming her heart.

Jane watched them walk to the car with a small smile on her face.

"Y'know, I know she's your fiancé, and you're madly in love and all. But the whole staring thing is a bit creepy, Janie."

Jane turned around to glare at her brother.

Detective Frankie Rizzoli, Jr. was standing behind her, giving her a stupid grin. She might've smacked his shoulder if she wasn't afraid of Marie seeing her and reacting in fear.

"He's not wrong." Frost answered, suddenly appearing next to Frankie.

Jane threw her hands in the air out of frustration.

"What are you ganging up on me for? I've seen you both drool over girls! So many times, in fact, that if I had a nickel for every time one of you got rejected, I'd own a country club by now."

Frost rolled his eyes, but Frankie shot back,"Well, if I had a penny for every time you stared at Maura like a creepy stalker, I'd be a billionaire!"

"Alright, Detectives Rizzoli. Knock it off." Korsak walked up to them. "Frankie, I need a statement from the butler. Go. Jane, what's going on with those kids?"

"I don't know yet." Jane answered as Frankie walked off to find the butler. "Maura and I are taking them to the hospital to see a colleague of hers who specializes in working abuse cases with kids."

"Alright, I'll give the social worker your number and have her meet you there, then." He turned to walk away.

Jane sighed. "Hey, Korsak?"

The Sergeant turned to face her. "Yeah, Jane?"

She fidgeted for a moment, unable to meet his steady gaze before taking a deep breath and preparing for the worst. "What do you think is gonna happen to them?"

Korsak frowned. He wasn't blind. He had noticed Jane and Maura's interaction with Marie and Johnny and he could tell that they were getting attached.

"Well, we gotta call Department of Children and Families. See what they can do. But looking at that bruise she got, the kid's most likely going into foster care. Not sure about the baby, though."

Jane looked up, a look of anger and desperation in her eyes. "No! Korsak, you know damn well what happens to kids in the system! I can't let that happen to Marie, or Johnny. I won't!" 

"Jane..." He sighed.

"C'mon, Korsak." She looked at him pleadingly. "Promise me you'll have my back."

Korsak was silent for a minute, thinking about the way Jane and Maura looked at the baby and toddler. 

He couldn't help remembering when he first met his ex-wife's son Joshua.

Josh was two years old when they met. His mother had taken pictures without Korsak knowing. He still kept one of them in a frame by his bedside.

The look in his eyes as he had sat back and watched little Josh play cars...

Well...

It was a photograph that proved that he couldn't judge Jane for this.

He fell in love at first sight, too.

Korsak smiled at Jane. "I got your back, partner."

"Thank you." Jane smiled back. "I'd better go."

"Alright. I'm sending Frost to ask the kid some questions. I'll text you the details."

"Okay. Can you ask him to wait until she's being discharged, though? I don't want her to get too overwhelmed."

Korsak smirked. Jane was already thinking like a parent. "Sure thing."

"Thanks. I'm gonna go pack some of Marie and Johnny's belongings. Will you let Maura know I'll be right out?"

"You got it." He pulled out his phone to text Maura, not wanting to risk scaring the little girl with his presence.

....

Jane returned to the room with the closet where she had found Marie and Johnny.

Looking around, she saw that the room must've been Marie's. But unlike any other toddler's room Jane had seen, it was pristine. There were no toys, and no stuffed animals.

The closet was the only place in the room that looked lived in. There were a couple well-used children's books, a keychain flashlight, some Goldfish crackers, and a dirty blanket.

But what caught Jane's attention was the scribbled on paper and crayons.

The papers were little drawings. Most were dark colored drawings of sad kids and monsters.

But one drawing in particular caught Jane's eye.

In it, Marie had colored a bright picture of her and a baby who Jane assumed to be Johnny, holding hands in a meadow. 

Underneath it, in a child's scribbles, was the word 'famlee.'

Family. To Marie, the word must've been so dark that the only person she could love was her baby brother. 'How incredibly alone she must have felt,' Jane thought sadly, her heart breaking at the thought.

Then Jane's determined nature caused her to think, 'She'll never feel that alone again.'

Grabbing the crayons, papers, books, and the blanket, Jane stuffed them in a Doc McStuffins backpack hanging on the doorknob of the closet.

She glanced around, but saw nothing that seemed to be of sentimental value. Spotting a white dresser, she wasn't too surprised to see that there was only two shirts and a pair of pajama shorts. 

Rolling her eyes, Jane put the shirts and pajama shorts in the backpack and looked around again before deciding there wasn't much else to pack.

Then she checked the room next to Marie's, the only one she hadn't seen yet. Jane assumed that must be the nursery.

This room was not nearly as clean as Marie's, with a couple plastic pacifiers on the floor and a trash can overfilling with dirty diapers.

There was also a small stool pulled up to the side of the crib, which Jane figured must have been the only way Marie could have reached her brother when he was in the crib asleep.

The idea of the tiny little girl being forced to take on the caretaker role for an infant made Jane feel incredibly sad once more. 

No child should have to be subjected to that.

Shaking her head to clear her thoughts, Jane opened the closet and saw that it was bare except for a few onesies.

Again, she wasn't surprised, but she was pissed off. For such a wealthy couple, one would think that they could spare a few bucks for some toys and clothes for their children.

Putting the onesies, a few pacifiers, and the remainder of the diapers she saw in the backpack, she took one more look at the nursery and headed out to the car.

But before she got to the front door, she was stopped by Frankie.

"Going somewhere?" He smirked, struggling to balance the two car seats he had confiscated from the butler.

Jane laughed. "Thanks, man."

....

Maura was busy trying to distract Marie with questions about her favorite color, her favorite book, and her favorite animals.

She was somewhat successful, having learned that Marie's favorite color was blue, her favorite book was Winnie The Pooh, and she had a love of all animals, but specifically dogs.

But Maura could tell by Marie's constant fidgeting and the constant anxious peeks out the window that she was afraid that Jane wasn't coming back to the car.

"Where's Jane?" 

"She went inside the house, honey. I'm sure she'll be right back."

Marie's eyes widened in panic and she scrambled over the seat to get to the car door, yanking at the handle.

Acting on maternal instinct, Maura reached over to pull the door shut. "Marie, sweetheart, it's okay! What's wrong?" She asked, her heart breaking as the toddler started crying hysterically.

"Daddy's gonna kill her! Daddy's gonna kill her! Help, Maura! Please, help, please?!"

Before Maura could attempt to reassure her, Jane appeared outside the car, unaware of the chaos happening inside. 

She opened the passenger side door and Marie looked at her for only a second before launching herself at the detective.

Shocked and acting on reflex, Jane dropped the car seats she held in each hand and caught the terrified little girl.

Marie sobbed, wrapping her little arms around Jane's neck in a hug.

Jane returned the embrace, murmuring words of comfort to the toddler.

"Hey...it's okay, sweet girl. It's okay...I'm here. Shhh...you're safe. Everything's gonna be alright."

Maura stepped out of the car with Johnny on her hip and walked over to them, reaching out to rub soothing circles on Marie's back.

'What happened?' Jane mouthed to Maura, her eyes wide.

Marie calmed down slowly, pulling back to look Jane in the eyes.

"I thought you were hurt! Daddy hurts people. You can't go inside anymore! Please?!"

Jane looked at Marie in shock. She hadn't thought that maybe Marie could have witnessed the murders. Recovering with the ease of a cop, she spoke soothingly.

"I'm alright, sweetie. Your Daddy can't hurt you, or me, or anyone else ever again. I promise, Marie. You're safe now, okay honey?"

Marie looked at Jane, her tear-filled eyes full of doubt. But Jane had promised. So she nodded nonetheless. 

"Okay." She whispered.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There it is! Chapter Two of "When Love Takes You In."
> 
> I hope you enjoyed! Leave a kudos or a review if you did!
> 
> Hopefully the next chapter will be up soon!

**Author's Note:**

> Alright folks, that was the first chapter of "When Love Takes You In." I will have the next chapter up soon. Hope you enjoyed!


End file.
